Saints Women safely progress to Welsh Cup round two

Match Report

Goals: Teare (24, 50), H.Evans (32), Ridge (45+4, 49), Jones (64)
Substitutions: Buckland for Teare (59), Lois Jones for Elliott (59), Lewis for H.Evans (64), Dunkerley for Francis-Jones (68), Phillips for Lexi Jones (68)

Match report by Michael Davies

It was a safe progression to round two of the Bute Energy Welsh Cup for The New Saints Women at The Rec against Pwllheli in North Wales, as Shauna Duffy’s team came away 6-0 victors on the Llŷn Peninsula.

Chantelle Teare and Emily Ridge both netted braces, while Helen Evans and Lexi Jones also scored for The New Saints.

It was a tricky afternoon with the conditions in Pwllheli that The Saints did well to come through.

The New Saints Women had the first chance in the second minute of the game, as Maria Francis-Jones played a pass to Lexi Jones, who shot the ball inside the box, and the effort hit the post and wide.

Not long later, Francis-Jones passed the ball to forward Chantelle Teare, as Saints’ number nine shot from close range, but the attempt was saved by Pwllheli goalkeeper, Sara Williams.

Shauna Duffy’s team were on the attack again in the seventh minute, as Emily Ridge had a point-blank range shot that was palmed away by Williams.

Lexi Jones had an another attempt from long-range a minute on that Williams stopped.

In the 11th minute, Katie Bowe had a shot from distance for the hosts that pulled wide.

Just over ten minutes, Pwllheli skipper, Magi Hughes hit a good 30-yard attempt that was palmed over well by Becca Elliott to keep Erica Jones’ side at bay.

Moments on, Duffy’s team took lead. Ridge passed the ball across to Teare, and the 23 year-old slotted the chance into the goal from close distance.

Before the half-hour, former Everton youth player, Poppy Kendrick-Jones, got an attempt away from just outside the box that hit the crossbar and went over.

TNS found a second goal in the 32nd minute. A Francis-Jones corner found an unmarked Helen Evans in the box, who scored from close range.

A 3-0 lead came for the Oswestry based-team on the stroke of half-time, as Tilly Edge played a through ball to Ridge, who slotted the third past Williams’ bottom-right from inside the 18-yard area.

Shortly after the break, TNS got a fourth. Francis-Jones got a cross to Ridge, and the number 35 got her boots on the ball from point-blank distance for a brace.

Second on a fifth arrived, this time Ridge was the provider as she passed the ball to Teare, with last week’s hat-trick hero able to safely the guide the ball into the host’s net inside the penalty area, following a 25-yard run.

TNS were marginally away from getting in again 53 minutes in.. A 30-yard Teare strike was palmed away, and Lexi Jones was unable to convert the follow-up from close-range.

Not long later, Teare had another strike from distance that narrowly went over the the crossbar.

Lexi Jones found a sixth past the hour, where the winger initially had a shot stopped by the Pwllheli defence, before the number 11 scored inside the penalty area on the rebound.

Ridge came close to hat-trick in the 74th minute, but just hit wide from a few yards out.

It wasn’t to effect the result, with Duffy’s team safely advancing.

TNS are back to Genero Adran Premier action next Sunday (October 27th), as Barry Town United make the trip up to Park Hall Stadium.